From Fred Itua, Abuja
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said that the poor standard of education in the country was worsening the level of insecurity.
Lawan stated this at the 8th Matriculation of Postgraduate Students of the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILDS)-University of Benin for the 2020/2021 Academic Session, held on Monday in Abuja.
The programes include Master’s Degree in Legislative Studies, Master’s Degree in Legislative Drafting and Master’s Degree in Parliamentary Administration among others.
Lawan who was represented by Senator Degi Biobarakuma, said some of the consequences of the weakness in the country’s education sector included insecurity, rising profile of criminal activities and anti-social behavior, high number of unemployable youths and an unproductive workforce.
“You are well aware of some of the challenges and deficits in this sector including limited funding, lack of infrastructure and teaching aids, poorly trained personnel and low levels of commitment among several others.
“These have adversely affected the productivity and output of our schools and centres of learning at all levels,” he said.
While enumerating the efforts of the National Assembly at improving primary and secondary education, Lawan said it amended the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act to ensure that the two per cent budgetary allocation to UBEC was increased to three per cent.
“However, a lot more remain to be done in order to ensure that all stakeholders at the state and federal levels do their part to strengthen the sector,” he added
Vice Chancellor of the institute, Prof Lilian Salami, urged the students to make discipline their watchword.
“For the matriculating students, our expectations of you are very high: We believe that as the matured students that you are, you will not disappoint us.
“Rather, you will be the best that you could possibly be and be among our students and graduates who are writing the name of the University in golden letters everywhere,” she said.
Director-General NILDS, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, called on the  students to comply with all the rules and regulations of the institute as contained in the matriculation oath and in the students handbook.
He said: “It is globally accepted that competent technical legislative staff are essential to the effective functioning of the legislature and by extension in building a strong and virile bureaucracy.
“The programmes offered by the institute are specialised and are guided by the belief that it is only by appropriate and effective education of the populace in democratic governance that genuine and functional democracies can emerge across the world.”
Speaking on behalf of the students, Mr Oscar Abesough, pledged commitment to do their best “to rule the world”.